


Amarant

by indywiduum



Category: Day6 (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Angst, M/M, Multi, Mystery, Opposites Attract, Slow Burn, Strong Language, Sungbri, TW: Blood, don't judge the characters too soon, i swear it's not as dark as it seems from the tags, tw: mentions of death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-24
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-10-15 15:28:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17531360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indywiduum/pseuds/indywiduum
Summary: "Something's just not right around here, y'all," Jae would always say and people would just laugh and shrug it off. But what if he was actually onto something with his conspiracy theories?ORSungjin moves to another city to get his master's degree and everything goes completely wrong.





	1. The Living Daylights

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy the mystery!

The first sense Sungjin regained was hearing. A gentle but fairly loud sound of running water brought to mind the image of a stream. It was refreshing and so was the sensation he felt first on the palms of his hands and then on his whole body. The sensation of lying on frozen ground covered in leaves. He opened his eyes and physically felt his pupils shrink as they were hit with the painful brightness of the early morning sun. The leaves rustled when he gasped and abruptly sat up, finally realizing something was very wrong.

Now fully conscious, he looked around in confusion, suppressing fear which was an instant reaction to the unknown. He was indeed resting on raw dark ground sprinkled with dry leaves and coated with a thin layer of frost. It made him realise he didn’t wear his coat and his only shield against the cold was a hoodie. Surprisingly, he didn’t feel cold. On the contrary, a wave of heat hit his head and chest as he grew anxious and frustrated. Where, the hell, was he?

In front of him, there stood a big old rusty dumpster, threatening to fall apart at any moment. On his right, a row of thick, overgrown shrubs towered over him. Their branches almost scratched his face as he turned around. A few feet behind him, he saw an ivy-covered stone wall of some small building. Then on his left, he was fenced in by a tall grey wall. He was surrounded from every side and completely hidden from the world.  _ Would be a perfect spot to occupy during hide and seek. Or to hide a dead body in _ . He shuddered at the intrusive thought.

_ Must have been a hell of a party last night _ , he thought and wanted to laugh, but not even a smile appeared. The thing is, he didn’t remember drinking that much. And never had he gotten wasted enough to black out, let alone end up in an unfamiliar place. His thoughts were rushing till he felt as if the walls of stone and leaves surrounding him started to close in on him. He sprang to his feet and tore through the bushes suddenly feeling claustrophobic.

A park. He was in a freaking park. The sound of a stream that woke him up turned out to come from a fountain and the wall covered by vine belonged to a small house with dirty windows which looked like a garden tool shed. In the early-morning hour, the park seemed to be devoid of life. Standing in the far end of it, he could only hear a faint hum of cars coming from the street in the distance. He felt his heart drop at the absence of a living soul as he realized he hoped to hear a burst of laughter somewhere around this point. At least he could scratch the possibility that this whole situation was just the people he met at the party pranking the newbie.

He recognized the area, as it wasn’t far from his rented flat, but while its familiarity comforted him, he still had hundreds of questions. How did he get here? Why did he decide to take a nap in the darkest corner of the park? Was he alone last night? If not, why was he alone now? Where were his things he definitely had on him at the party? The coat, phone, wallet? And why was he  _ this _ thirsty?

He was so thirsty that for a split second he actually considered something as disgusting as drinking from the little open fountain. Thankfully, before he had a chance to test just how desperate he was, his eyes caught a glimpse of a drinking water faucet further along the path. He turned it on and let the fresh cold water soothe his sandpaper-like throat. He drank what seemed like a bucket, yet when he stepped back it still didn't feel like he quenched his thirst entirely. It was certainly less distracting, though, so now nothing stopped him from becoming aware of the pain embracing tightly the back of his head.

_ That's one killer hangover you've gotten yourself,  _ he scolded himself. Partial amnesia, waking up in a random place without his belongings but with a massive headache... He’s always considered himself a responsible person so how did it come to this? This was definitely not how he imagined his first week after moving to another city. On top of that, the semester was about to start literally the next day, so no matter how hard he tried he really couldn’t come up with any believable excuse to justify his behaviour. He needed some answers, immediately. No matter how crazy or embarrassing the story of how he ended up like this might be. If only he had his phone.

He reluctantly returned to his place of seclusion to see if his coat was laying somewhere around. No luck. It was just dead leaves and... what was  _ that _ ? Next to the flattened down leaves in the shape of his body, near the place where his head must have been when he lied there, he saw something he didn’t notice before.

It was a puddle of some substance, about the size of his palm. He touched it and it was dried out on the surface, but when pressed harder, it stained his finger. It was the colour of congealed blood but with some silver and blue swirls in it. It looked similar to the rainbow that’s visible when light reflects off a gasoline spill, except just two colours. The day has just reached new levels of abnormal. He really didn't want to do that but he knew it’s the only way to check. He touched the finger to the tip of his tongue and shivered at the metallic taste.  _ This is not a drill _ , he thought, trying really hard to remain calm,  _ that's blood _ .  _ Contaminated with something, but blood. _ Now the most pressing matter was, whose? He searched himself for any wounds but found none, which didn’t comfort him at all.

He left the shrubs behind again, scared, confused and determined to find answers. He started towards the main road, when someone appeared out of nowhere and they crashed into each other.

“Woah, be careful!' the other man said reproachfully.

“Oh my god, I’m sorry,” said Sungjin, who must have been too occupied with his thoughts. He snapped out of it and looked at the guy.

He was roughly the same height and age as Sungjin, dressed in a dark blue coat. Black hair were falling into his eyes which now looked him up and down coldly.

“Are you okay?” asked the stranger, voice with a hint of worry absent from his stare.

Sungjin figured he wasn't just talking about them bumping into each other. His clothes were not weather appropriate, as well as dirty from lying on the ground. And if he appeared as tired and desperate as he felt… No doubt he must have looked out of place and possibly a little crazy.

“To be honest, I've been better. I just wish I could find my coat ‘cause I had my phone and wallet inside.” The man raised an eyebrow. “My friends pranked me and hid it somewhere around here.” Sungjin added not to come off as a complete lunatic and hoped the lie was somehow believable. He didn’t even know why he was telling him that, it's not like the guy could materialise anything out of thin air any more than he could.

The stranger looked at him and Sungjin could swear his dark, almost black eyes lit up with blue for a split second, like a shooting star passing through the night sky. It must have been the morning sun reflecting in them. Its merciless brightness still made Sungjin want to squint like when he first opened his eyes today.

Remembering he has a mystery to solve, he was about to apologise for bothering the man and move on, when the latter passed him, eyes fixated on something above Sungjin’s shoulder. A second later, Sungjin was holding his beige coat with the phone and wallet safely stuffed in each of the pockets.

“It was right there, on the hedge. Are your eyes so pretty because you don't ever use them?” he said, obviously also alluding to Sungjin bumping into him earlier.

The way he said it completely devalued the smuggled compliment. Sungjin felt embarrassed and slightly irritated. Why was the guy even helping him if it bothered him so much? Before he could decide if he should defend himself or just ignore the remark and show his gratitude, the stranger already started walking away. Sungjin might not have had eagle vision, but at least he wasn't rude. He looked after the man and considered saying something, but he really didn't have time for this.

He unlocked his phone and messaged virtually the only person he knew in the city. Actually, he met him just yesterday. Still, he had a few reasons to message this particular boy. He seemed decent and trustworthy, but most importantly, he was the last person Sungjin remembered talking to at the party. If someone knew what happened later, it must be him. Besides, he confided in Sungjin quite a lot last night, so Sungjin trusted he will be in no position to be judgemental of him. But honestly, who wouldn't judge Sungjin in this situation? He judged himself.

**Kim Wonpil**

Today 7:43 AM

wonpil I need your help asap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and thanks for reading! :)
> 
> This is my first time writing a chaptered fic. The idea started off small but it keeps growing so I'm not sure how it will all turn out but I hope you'll stay with me to find out.


	2. The Eleventh Hour

Four days was more than enough to unpack and organize everything. Sungjin has arrived only on Wednesday, but by Saturday he was already bored out of his mind. He decided to move a few days earlier as he still had to deliver some documents to his faculty’s office and wanted to have some time to get to know the city. He didn’t really get a chance to do much of the latter.

All he knew was that his flat was situated in a perfect spot. It belonged to a family friend and his older sister has also lived there during her studies, so Sungjin heard all about its convenient location, but he only started appreciating it when he experienced it first-hand. That is, when the walk from the flat to the campus turned out to take only around five minutes and lead through a beautiful old park. Back at home, commuting would take him around half an hour while many of his friends needed at least twice as much. There was no doubt he has hit the jackpot. No struggling with rush hours, no missing a bus and no waking up two hours before the actual class. He could already tell his morning self will be very thankful for the extra minutes of sleep.

But right now, sleep was the last thing he needed. He’s just woken up from an unintended nap after watching two and a half movies. He stretched and got up to his laptop to pause the third movie. By now, he had no idea what was going on anyway.

Although blocked by clouds, the sun didn’t even start to set yet and he had no idea what to do with the rest of the day. He considered going out and actually exploring the city beyond the one-kilometer radius of his flat, but decided against it. Ever since last night, the thermometer stubbornly showed below zero and, through the open curtains, Sungjin could see it started to sleet while he was dozing. With spring still nowhere in sight and winter oblivious to the fact that it’s outstaying its welcome, he really didn’t feel like wandering around with no particular destination in mind.

 _Enjoy staying in and doing nothing while you can afford it_. He’ll definitely regret ever complaining about the boredom once the semester starts. He knew it will be stressful, but couldn’t help being excited. He only wished he would know someone around here and didn’t have to stay all by himself.

The sound of a text distracted him from his thoughts. He found his phone under the blankets, read the message and a few seconds later he was typing Dowoon’s address into the search bar for directions. He forgot about the party!

Two days ago, during his visit to the campus, he’s met Dowoon at the College of Music. It turned out he’s about to start his second-year as an instrumental music student. Sungjin had no idea Dowoon was studying there. Yes, they knew each other from their hometown, where they went to high school together, but while always on friendly terms, they were never particularly close.

However, unexpectedly seeing a familiar face was a pleasant surprise for Sungjin and Dowoon has always been a warm and easy-going person, so even though it’s been ages since they last talked, the meeting wasn’t awkward. It also helped that they could now bond over being music students. When they parted, Dowoon mentioned that he would actually be organizing an end-of-vacation party and earnestly invited Sungjin, promising he’ll send the details later.

It completely slipped Sungjin’s mind until Dowoon contacted him. Later, as he locked the door on his way out, he made a mental note to invest in some memory supplements.

While not a big fan of meeting new people, he knew that, sooner or later, he had to start making acquaintances. That was something he took into account while moving alone to a whole new city. And the party seemed like a perfect occasion to do just that.

»»————　　————««

Sungjin didn’t see much of Dowoon that night, except when he first arrived at his house.

Unlike Sungjin, Dowoon didn’t come here specifically to study, but moved with his whole family even before he finished high school. Their house was impressive, not only in comparison to Sungjin’s flat but also to any other house he ever remembered visiting. Its beauty was determined not by the size but by the modern and aesthetically pleasing interior design. Personally, Sungjin would never buy a 2x2 meter painting which, unless he was missing something, showed a random splash of black paint on a white background, but he had to admit it looked pretty majestic hanging over the marble fireplace in the open living room.

Despite the fancy space, the people occupying it were just the usual bunch of university students. Some took the party as a chance to dress up, and some couldn’t care less. Some looked like they were fresh out of high school, while others seemed closer to thirty than twenty.

The atmosphere was relaxed, the music playing, but so far more people sat on the sofas talking than danced. Through the glass doors on his right, he could see a group of people playing some music trivia game on a console, while another four of five people stuck around watching the competition, making fun of the players and waiting for their turn.

Before disappearing, Dowoon introduced him to one of his friends. It seemed like most of the people already knew each other, so for the next hour curious people kept approaching him and asking the default “Where are you from? What’s your major? Why did you transfer?” and other questions of the sort. They patted him on the back saying not to worry and that he’ll surely enjoy it here and smoothly left just as another person walked up to him and started asking the exact same batch of questions. He answered them politely while trying to figure out how to escape the confines of small talk. It proved to be harder than he expected. Back at home, hanging out with his friends was effortless. They knew each other pretty much forever. Now, alone in a new place, he realized his social skills were actually pretty rusty.

At one point, tired from saying the same thing over and over again and having received far more physical contact that he signed up for, he stealthily retreated in the direction of what he believed would be the kitchen. It was empty except for one boy sitting on one of the chairs with his legs crossed and staring at the lockscreen of his phone, clearly lost in his thoughts and waiting for something.

“Hey there, you okay? Not enjoying the party?” Sungjin stopped in the doorway trying to determine if the boy wished for company.

“Nah, it’s fine. I'm just not exactly in the mood,” the boy replied absent-mindedly and fell silent again for a split second, as if wondering if he should elaborate on that. He must have decided it wasn't the best idea to vent to a stranger. Instead, he put his phone away and turned around. “Anyways.” When he saw it was Sungjin standing by the door behind him, his face lit up with a smile. “Oh, you must be Sungjin!”

“How—?” Sungjin didn't recall this boy being one of the people who interviewed him in the living room nor ever seeing him anywhere else before now.

“Dowoon told me he invited his old friend and well, it’s the first time I'm seeing a new face tonight. Seeing you're not denying it, I guess I must be right. I’m Wonpil, by the way.”

Sungjin didn't comment on the fact that even if he wasn't Sungjin, Wonpil barely gave him a chance to open his mouth.

Wonpil talked a lot. They have been sitting in Dowoon’s kitchen for almost two hours and Sungjin’s first impression of him as a quiet boy seemed ridiculous now. The obligatory, awkward first-meeting stage didn’t seem to exist to him. Sungjin wondered if it was the alcohol that turned Wonpil into the oversharing machine, but the words flowed so naturally he suspected he was just being himself. And Sungjin welcomed the refreshing interaction, especially since Wonpil barely needed any encouragement, so Sungjin didn’t have to rack his brain trying to keep the conversation going.

Before he knew it, Sungjin was already caught up with the majority of the latest gossip (even if he didn’t actually know any of the people involved), he heard a handful of stories from Wonpil’s childhood, as well as his struggle and doubts concerning his major (“I mean, I don’t feel it at all, but I’m way past the halfway point so I can’t exactly quit, right? Right?”). Sungjin suspected this to be the reason for his sulking earlier. After all, another year of studying the detested subject was just around the corner.

 Woven spontaneously between Wonpil’s stories and rants was evaluation of the songs that were playing and a _lot_ of music recommendations. Sungjin was convinced that, had he been in better spirits, he would surely be next door, beating everyone at the quiz game at this very moment. Music seemed to be his favourite subject to return to. That is, until he learned that Sungjin majored in vocal music (which was pretty late into their conversation, most of the time Sungjin just let him talk and listened). A hint of envy appeared in his voice when he confessed that he used to learn piano when he was younger and swore he was pretty good. He enjoyed singing too, but never got a chance to be professionally trained.

“I gave in and chose journalism cause my parents wanted me to study something more stable and secure.” He let out a whine and banged his head on the table. “Not to be dramatic, but I hate myself.”

At first, neither of them noticed the tall blonde guy who entered the kitchen just in time to hear the end of Wonpil’s rant.

“Now, that’s no mood for a party. Cheer up, Wonpil!,” he said ruffling his hair.

Wonpil just sighed with resignation, unmoved. The newcomer turned to Sungjin “Hey, didn’t expect to see you here.”

Wonpil raised his head, curiosity getting the better of him. “You know each other?”

“I literally know everyone, Wonpil. But yeah, we’re neighbours, actually. Anyways, have y’all seen Dowoon? Can’t find him anywhere.”

“Not since the beginning, no.” Jae was probably the only person Sungjin knew around here before the party. But ‘knew’ was too big of a word. They lived next door, yet after a friendly welcome on Sungjin’s moving day, he has seen Jae only one other time, in passing.

“You know Dowoon, he organizes the parties, but doesn’t really enjoy them that much. Maybe he’s just lying low.” Wonpil speculated.

“Yeah. Or… I’m not trying to gossip, but maybe—” before he had a chance to finish some girl called him over from the living room to back her up in an argument. A few seconds later, they could hear him talking about something called the Mandela Effect. His explanation was followed by a series of frustrated “No way? Really? What the fuck, what do you mean the Arctic is not a continent?!”

“Trust me, my dudes, there are things much weirder than this happening out there," was Jae's immediate reply. 

»»————　　————««

Sungjin sent the text and returned to the homescreen, only now noticing he had dozens of missed calls and texts. He pulled up the call history. The top ones were from his sister, one from his mother and one unsaved number. Before he had a chance to call back or read the texts, the phone started ringing. Damn, Wonpil was fast. Sungjin was prepared to wait, convinced he would be still sleeping at this time.

“Hey! I'm glad you're up, I know it's Sunday and super early and you’re probably sleeping off the party, but I really need to talk to you and—” Sungjin blurted out before Wonpil stopped him in his tracks.

“Who’s this?” His voice sounded wary.

“Um… it’s Sungjin, the new guy,” Sungjin explained trying not to sound disappointed.

On the other end, he could hear a sharp intake of breath followed by a tense silence. “I— why— Is this really you?”

“Yes? Did you already delete my number? And just how many people with this accent do you know?” Sungjin decided he’ll have plenty of time to be hurt later. “Okay. Listen. I can see you are not happy I'm contacting y—”

“No! That's not… Sungjin, I— we thought you died.”

“Yeah, well, it didn't stick!” Sungjin snapped, losing patience for a second. He didn't need this.

Wonpil was clearly taken aback. “What?”

Sungjin sighed. He was so, _so_ frustrated and tired. He wanted Wonpil to shed some light on last night, not to confuse him even more. But Wonpil didn’t help at all. Sungjin felt like the nearest tree would make more sense.

“Wonpil, I honestly have no idea what the hell you're talking about. Could you just _please_ tell me what happened yesterday at Dowoon’s party? I think I bla—”

“Hold on, yesterday?” Wonpil interrupted him yet again.

“Were we at any other party together? I thought I got wasted, Wonpil, but you're acting so weird. Get a grip.”

Wonpil started to sound irritated too. “But you didn’t— I'm so damn confused, Sungjin. Let's meet. Where are you?”

“The park near uni.” Sungjin realized that was quite vague. “I'll send you a pic.”

“Okay. Wait there. Don't go anywhere. I'll be there soon,” Wonpil reassured him.

“Fine. Hey, Wonpil!”

“Yeah?”

“Could you bring me something to drink? You told me not to go anywhere and I'm really hungover. I swear to god, I'm never drinking again.”

»»————　　————««

As soon as he pulled the phone away from his ear, it died. So much for sending Wonpil the pic and so much for calling his sister back.

Well, she'll have to endure worrying about him a bit more. Sungjin figured she must have arrived a day early. She was supposed to drop in on Sunday afternoon to see how he’s doing and to bring him some things he forgot to take from home. However, seeing the number of calls, he assumed she arrived last night. But why?

He didn't tell her he's going to a party, he kinda went on the spur of the moment. There was no reason to, anyway. He expected to return home hours before her arrival. That didn’t quite work out the way he planned. She probably still had her keys from when she rented the flat and let herself in. Then waited for him the whole night… and the whole night he didn't come back.

Yeah, Sungjin started to understand the avalanche of missed calls and messages. But did she really have to already alarm mum too?

He plopped down on a bench and rested his forehead in his hands. He'll worry about that later. Either way, meeting Wonpil was a priority right now. If he’ll have to explain himself, he needed to remember something first.

He sat there for a while, tirelessly trying to come up with possible scenarios which would suddenly make everything clear, but it was all in vain.

The park started to become less deserted, though not by much, since it was a cold Sunday morning. The people who were unlucky enough to have to be out at this time passed him in hurry. He kept searching for Wonpil with his eyes, hoping to be found soon and afraid to move so they won't fail to meet and end up chasing each other in circles.

Finally, after what seemed like eternity, but could as well have been a couple of minutes, a figure appeared on the far end of the main path walking hurriedly and only quickening its pace upon noticing Sungjin who now got up from the bench and raised his hand to make sure he's seen.

When he got closer, Sungjin could see a cardboard tray with two coffees in Wonpil’s hands.

“Here, you must be cold.” That wasn’t exactly true, but Sungjin accepted the coffee. Maybe a hot liquid will make him feel better.

Meanwhile Wonpil sat down in the spot Sungjin has just freed up and simply stared at him intensely, holding the cup without drinking from it. He wasn’t saying anything, still, Sungjin could almost hear his thoughts running around crazily, waiting to be released.

“What?” Sungjin said, giving up when he couldn’t take it anymore. He couldn’t stand another minute of uncertainty.

“Sungjin… what day do you think it is?”

“Sunday?” He answered, puzzled as to how is that relevant right now. So much thinking for a random question? Sungjin tried not to roll his eyes. Wonpil clearly didn't quite get the seriousness of the situation. “Okay, I was supposed to be the one asking you quest—”

“Yes, but what day of the month?”

 _Seriously?_ Sungjin couldn't hold back the eye-roll anymore.

“First of March, I'm pretty sure. School starts tomorrow, remember? Wait, do you have amnesia too?” Sungjin said jokingly trying to ignore Wonpil’s serious face and, in some twisted way, hoping to lighten up the mood.

Wonpil’s expression didn’t change.

“It's the fifteenth, Sungjin. Classes started two weeks ago.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's here! I never put so much effort in anything, so I really hope you enjoyed! 
> 
> But please don't come at me for the education system in this, it's likely multiple different ones mixed but hey, it's an AU. :)


	3. The Dying Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fast-forward to the past.

Sungjin disappeared. And Wonpil was the last person to see him.

They left the party shortly after 2am. The sleepiness from being tipsy quickly evaporated when they were hit with the crisp late-night air which made them hide their hands deep in their pockets. Neither of them drank that much in the first place, they didn’t want to risk feeling the aftermath on Monday.

Despite that, the conversation was still going smoothly. They walked to the bus stop chatting and laughing, Sungjin talking more now having become comfortable with Wonpil in the course of the party. As they waited for the bus, they speculated once again about where could Dowoon have wandered off to. When they left, there was still no sign of him.

“Maybe he's seeing someone.”

Even in high school, Dowoon couldn’t complain on the lack of popularity, and the party proved it didn’t change. Sungjin wouldn’t be surprised if he was right.

Wonpil just shrugged, but then his eyes widened. “Actually, there is this one- you could be onto something.”

It seemed as if Sungjin just helped him realize something huge. Unfortunately, before he had a chance to fill the other in further, the bus arrived. Sungjin got on quite reluctantly. He got invested in the social life of these people more than he would admit, Wonpil being the one to blame. He was curious who could be the person with whom Dowoon disappeared for the whole night.

Wonpil stood there watching Sungjin take a seat in the otherwise empty night bus. Their eyes met and Sungjin raised his hand in a silent goodbye.

Sungjin’s sister didn't arrive on Sunday after all. She texted Sungjin to ask if it was okay if she fetched his stuff later on in the week. She explained that she had to fill in for her colleague at work and will only be able to come until Wednesday. Having received no reply, she assumed Sungjin saw the message and didn't mind. Although she didn’t approve of it, she knew he was the type of texter who just acknowledged the message and moved on, forgetting or not even trying to respond.

On Monday, Wonpil stood before the main gate waiting for Sungjin to show up. Back in Dowoon’s kitchen, it turned out that Sungjin ventured into the campus only two times and didn’t even know where to find the cafeteria or the library. Wonpil couldn’t accept this and offered to show him around.

However, when the day came Wonpil waited in vain. More and more people passed him and at one point he realized that even if Sungjin came, it would be too late. He tried contacting him, but he didn’t answer.

Finally, he gave up and headed inside just as Dowoon was nearing the school grounds.

“Dowoon! Have you seen Sungjin? And just where were you yesterday? Is that a Busan people thing to just disappear?” he started ranting as soon as Dowoon was in the earshot.

“No, why? Something happened?” Dowoon asked, surprised Wonpil knew him and ignored the other questions.

Wonpil squinted at him, but decided he’ll get that out of him later. He explained they got to know each other at Dowoon’s and showed him his messages to Sungjin. “We agreed to meet and now he's ignoring me.”

“I mean, are we surprised? ” Dowoon laughed seeing the half dozen messages Wonpil sent in just the past ten minutes and quickly ducked avoiding a slap in the back of his head.

“I'm just worried, is all. It doesn’t seem like him,” Wonpil explained, deciding it’s better not to mention he might or might not have also called twice.

Dowoon questioned if Wonpil could truly already judge what was and what wasn’t ‘like’ Sungjin, but he didn’t comment on that. Instead, he said he and Sungjin had lectures in the same building and promised he will let Wonpil know if he sees him.

“Just quit annoying him with texts.”

He run off before Wonpil could attempt to hit him again. Wonpil went in the opposite direction rushing to avoid being late for his workshop.

Three days passed and Wonpil doubted anyone but him and Dowoon (and Wonpil wasn’t sure the latter would if he didn’t bother him talking about it whenever they met) noticed Sungjin’s absence. He had no way of knowing, but he could safely assume that Sungjin’s professors and classmates neither knew Sungjin was missing nor cared. The have never seen his face before and it was no one’s concern if a student hasn't attended a lecture but his own.

Wonpil felt the need to do something. He had a bad feeling about Sungjin going MIA so suddenly. He has dropped by a convenience store near the university to grab some food on his way to his afternoon classes, but all these thoughts managed to distract him from shopping. He was staring at the juice section with a particularly worried expression on his face, when he heard Dowoon’s low voice again.

This time Dowoon wasn’t alone but with Younghyun, which was far from surprising.

Younghyun was an intimidating figure with tar-black hair falling in his piercing fox-like eyes. Something about him was unsettling and he hardly redeemed himself if you got a chance to talk to him. Even Wonpil, who didn’t know him too well, fell victim to his snarky remarks a couple of times. Despite all that, his actions didn’t match his appearance and character. The ones who got a chance to see past his façade were surprised to discover an extremely helpful and selfless person. The news spread fast and, to his horror, he became quite popular very fast. Many argued that his tsundere behaviour made him even more attractive and it would be boring if he was plain nice. Wonpil wasn’t convinced.

Dowoon was Younghyun’s closest friend and the only one to whom he was always _plain nice_. The person Wonpil wanted to mention to Sungjin when they wondered if Dowoon is seeing someone was none other than Younghyun. Wonpil has never looked at those two like that, but Sungjin made him think and, looking at them laughing at some joke he didn't hear, he wondered again if there could actually be something more to their friendship than he originally assumed.

He decided to go up to them as he had a question to Dowoon. Younghyun’s expression changed as soon as he noticed Wonpil approaching them, his smile disappearing like a mirage. He gave them some space as Wonpil asked Dowoon if he knew where Sungjin lived.

Dowoon was surprised at first, but Wonpil’s constant worrying rubbed off on him and it would be a lie if he said he didn’t consider visiting Sungjin himself, if only to give them both a peace of mind.

“Nah, he had no reason to tell me.”

Wonpil’s expression went from disappointed to focused in a matter of seconds, as if he already tried to come up with another way to contact Sungjin. It didn’t seem healthy.

“Don't dwell on this so much, he's probably just sick or something,” Dowoon reasoned, “and it's not like either of us is that close to him, he doesn't have to explain himself to us.”

Wonpil unwillingly agreed. There were probably thousands of normal explanations, but thinking about them didn’t make his heart any less heavy. If Sungjin was simply sick, why would he ignore him? There were people who were annoyed by Wonpil’s talkativeness, but Sungjin didn’t seem to mind at all. Even if he did, Wonpil just wanted to know for sure. He wondered if they would give him Sungjin’s address if he asked in the office, but he doubted it.

“I just wish I knew why he isn’t showing up.”

He left not having bought anything and both Dowoon and Younghyun, who returned to his side, followed him with their eyes.

 

Less than 24 hours passed until he found out. Thursday evening, he was sitting in the auditorium, drinking coffee not to let the dim lights and warmth from the heaters put him to sleep, and waiting for the Rhetoric lecture to begin. He almost choked on his coffee when someone suddenly grabbed his shoulder.

“Big news about your new friend, Wonpil,” Jae slipped onto the seat next to him.

Jae also studied Journalism and Communication and sometimes, not very often but often enough to become casual friends, they ended up registering for the same courses. Apparently this was one of them. But Jae was such a popular presence that Wonpil suspected that even if he never went near the JOC building, Jae would somehow know him anyway. Jae knew everyone in the campus, perhaps besides this year’s freshmen, but this wouldn’t last long.

Jae’s huge social network made him the best informed person out there. His brain was overflowing with information, but he didn’t use it to his advantage or to gossip. It seemed like he just liked to know a lot about people and people liked to tell him about themselves. When he was serious, he had the counsellor air to him and when he wasn’t, he was the most fun person to be around. He treated everyone like his best friend whether they talked yesterday or haven’t seen each other for months. There was no losing with him. If people were asked to describe him with one word the top result would be simply: _chill._

But the second best would be: _hardcore._ The reason for the duality? Conspiracy theories. Jae was really passionate about them, to say the least. They consumed most of the time that he didn’t spend studying. He watched vlogs and documentaries, read articles and posts on forums as well as wrote his own comments on his twitter. If he didn't socialise, he was theorizing. Hell, even his socialising often lead to talking about conspiracy theories. Eventually, he realized not everyone likes to constantly hear about aliens and manipulation so, to tone it down, he established a club to argue about those freely.

He even had a theory concerning their city. However, he claimed that it was underdeveloped and missed many links, so he refused to share it with anyone.

“Something's just not right around here, y'all,” he would simply say and people would only laugh and shrug it off. He has never elaborated on the topic.

His obsession was undeniable, but it didn't hurt anyone. Except maybe his own self who stayed up till 3am having fights with other users about things that for regular people didn't, even potentially, exist. While everyone who spent more than an hour with Jae knew about the strange interest, not everyone knew the full extent of it. But all of them, even most members of the club, thought it was just a fun abstract distraction from his down-to-earth studies. They doubted he actually believed the theories.

Even if he didn’t, what was about to happen would give all of them pause for thought.

 

»»————　　————««

 

As soon as Wonpil woke up that day, he suddenly had a revelation and remembered that at the party Jae mentioned being neighbours with Sungjin. It was a matter of seconds before he was texting Jae to ask him to check up on the other. Jae complied, but when he rang the doorbell, no one answered.

 _He's either out or a really heavy sleeper_ , he texted back.

This is why when Jae approached Wonpil before the Rhetorics lecture, he thought Jae tried to reach Sungjin again and this time succeeded. He couldn’t have been further off.

 

Jae explained that earlier today, he had just came back to his flat in the window of time between his lectures and was working on an essay while simultaneously arguing with some flat-earthed in a twitter group chat. And that was when his police radio went off. (“Don't ask me why I’m tuning in on them and no, it's not exactly legal, but that's beside the point!”)

Someone, Jae didn’t register who, reported a missing person with suspicion of assault.

But that was not the most shocking bit. In a big city like this, all sorts of things happened. Actually, Jae believed that in this particular city, they happened more often than anywhere else.

Which is why, more than anything else, the address caught his attention. He could swear the woman on the radio mentioned the very building he was in. More precisely, the flat next door. Sungjin’s flat.

Jae wondered if his ears were fooling him. He couldn’t concentrate on the paper and paced around the room until he heard footsteps on the staircase and hallway and then a bell rang. Door opened and closed. Then silence. Could it be a policeman who received the call while on patrol? Did Sungjin come back to the flat? But if Sungjin called the police, who was missing? Jae didn't know much about him yet, but he knew he lived alone.

He kept pacing even more nervously, noticing he should have left for classes by now but letting the time pass. He was physically unable to simply leave and pretend he hasn't heard anything. He sat down in his chair one foot tapping impatiently. He was burning with curiosity.

An hour later, around the time his class must have slowly been approaching the end, a doorbell rang again. This time, at his door.

“Good morning, I'm sergeant Ji. Can I ask you a few questions?”

A policeman in his thirties stood in the doorway scanning him. Jae didn’t have to fake surprise or nervousness. Sure, he knew about the call, but he didn’t know what exactly happened. And he didn’t expect to be considered a witness. He let the policeman in, praising himself for turning the radio off beforehand.

He found out that the person who called the police was Sungjin’s sister. The policeman told him she arrived this morning and, assuming Sungjin must be off to an 8am lecture, let herself in as she still had a pair of keys from when she used to live here. Hearing that, Jae realised it was probably Jinah. She moved out a year ago and the flat stood empty all this time until Sungjin appeared last week. Jae used to be good friends with her.

But at this moment, he wished he didn't know neither her nor Sungjin. Then it would be easier to distance himself from what the policeman told him.

As she suspected, Jinah didn't find Sungjin in the flat, but she found something else. She was carrying two big cardboard boxes full of stuff Sungjin forgot from home and things she bought for him as housewarming gifts. They were blocking her view so she noticed the blood only when she stepped in it and almost slipped. It looked as if someone spilled a bucket of blood on the carpet and the floor and left it to dry. The scariest part was that there was noone there.

The policeman left out describing Jinah’s reaction, but Jae knew it couldn’t have been pretty. He added that there were no signs of a forced entry nor physical struggle. Having described the problem to him, he proceeded to ask questions with another policeman who appeared in the meantime.

“They didn’t want to waste time and Jinah didn't know anything, so they needed the most basic information. I told them where and when I saw Sungin last and if I heard anything happen in the flat since Sunday,” he sighed heavily, looking at Wonpil who listened petrified, not saying a word.

“Truth is, I haven't seen him since the party. I don't think I heard him going into his flat even once. I should’ve realized something’s wrong way before you alarmed me.”

Jae obviously blamed himself, learning what happened affected him more than he showed. Yet when Wonpil looked up, he could swear that apart from worry, he saw a twinkle of excitement in his eyes. He decided to ignore it and convinced himself that he just got teary eyed. The situation was crazy enough.

“I told them who was at the party, don't be surprised if you'll be called to go to the police station and say everything you know. But I think Dowoon will be first, especially since I kinda let it slip that he randomly disappeared and nobody knew where he was…”

“Why would you do that?!” Wonpil’s words were coming back to him. “Oh my god I hope they won't suspect Dowoon or anything. This is horrible, I can't believe this happened. He was literally here for a few days why would someone do that?” he asked, not even knowing what ‘that’ was in this case.

 

The other neighbours, as well as Wonpil, Dowoon and the rest of people at the party were interviewed by the police, but it didn't make anything clearer. Most of them barely remembered Sungjin.

CCTV on the building next to the bus stop and on the bus itself proved Wonpil’s statement, but there were no cameras along Sungjin’s route from the bus stop nor in the old building he lived in.

The policemen were hoping for a breakthrough during Dowoon’s interrogation.To their dismay, it turned out he had an alibi and no apparent motive. Just as everyone else.

They didn’t have proof of any kind. It seemed like Sungjin made it to his flat and disappeared, leaving behind nothing, but blood. With help of his sister they run tests and there could be no doubt that it was his.

Missing person posters have been printed. Multiple people, family, friends and police tried to reach Sungjin. Hospitals have been contacted. Locations close to his route that day and the flat searched.

Nothing was found. Days passed and whenever Wonpil met Jae there was no new information. It was a Friday, almost two weeks since the party. They were sitting in the cafeteria, Wonpil losing appetite as soon as they strayed from a more pleasant topic to this.

“It’s so creepy, man,” Wonpil thought that was an understatement, “I know people are found after like months or even years but the blood? No traces? Him being a perfect victim because barely anyone knew him here? I hate to be the one to say it, but what if—”

“Then don’t say it!” Wonpil snapped at him.

He knew Jae was also moved by all of this and he was just being logical, but he didn’t want to hear it. The words were there, heavy in the air and, though unspoken, Wonpil knew exactly what they were. They haunted him for the rest of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This update took so long, but it's the longest one yet and I swear the next chapter will come faster. It's because I worked both on chapter 3 and 4 already as well as another chapter later on in the story.
> 
> We get a lot of explanation in this one, I hope you all enjoy!
> 
> Wonpil got attached so fast I feel so bad for him.
> 
> Quick disclaimer: all the families of the boys are completely fictional, I don't know anything about their families except that a lot of them have sisters. I didn't even try to find out more, as I think it would be creepy. So please, just roll with it~


	4. Angel's Glow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: blood, syringes?

“And now I get a call from you, and you sound okay, and when I meet you, you seem” — Wonpil scanned Sungjin looking for even the slightest sign which would hint at what happened to him — “perfectly normal.”

He failed to spot anything out of the ordinary, no visible cuts or bruises, no tears or stains on his clothes. He looked exactly like that cold Sunday night they’ve seen each other last. “But you don’t remember anything.”

To Wonpil, this was more unsettling than any of Jae’s theories. And it was actually happening.

 

In the past hour, he has had a hard time convincing Sungjin that he was not lying to him.

“It's the fifteenth, Sungjin. Classes started two weeks ago.”

As soon as he said that, he saw Sungjin’s smile freeze on his face and slowly disappear. He was caught completely off guard and just stood there, processing the words. Then he shrugged his shoulders multiple times, as if trying to shake off the nonsense, and collected himself.

“Don’t push it. It stopped being funny with the blood.”

When he first woke up, Sungjin felt confusion and fear of the unknown. When he successfully contacted Wonpil, he was relieved and determined to find out the truth. Even when Wonpil started saying weird things, he tried to turn it all into a joke. Now he was past all that, his voice stern and cold. He tightened his grip on the cup trying not to crush it as anger and disappointment filled him.

How could he misjudge Wonpil so bad? Yesterday, he was surprised but happy that he has gained the first new friend even before the term started. This prank, sick initiation ceremony, or whatever it was supposed to be, disillusioned him entirely. He started to think other people must have been involved in it, the scale being too large for Wonpil to have plotted it all alone. Did Jae help him? Dowoon? Did him sneaking out of the party have something to do with this? He started pacing, trying to use up some of the energy burning in him.

Wonpil didn’t notice a change in Sungjin’s emotions, his words lingering in his ears.

“The blood?” he echoed.

“Stop playing dumb!” Sungjin grabbed and pulled on his own hair. Was he going crazy? _No, the only crazy person here is Wonpil._ “I got drunk and you somehow brought me here thinking making me wake up in a random place was hilarious. And now you’re telling me I blacked out for two goddamn weeks! When exactly will you quit?”

By now, he has stopped walking and stood hovering over Wonpil waiting for his well-deserved explanation. If he was overreacting, he didn’t care. None of this could be considered funny.

Wonpil just looked at him worriedly, took out his phone and offered it to him.

“Check for yourself.”

Sungjin ignored the phone resting on Wonpil’s extended hand and kept staring at the boy. No matter how innocent he appeared to be, he didn’t believe him. He didn’t want to believe him. There was no reason to hesitate.

He snatched Wonpil’s phone. _Sun, Mar 15_. Sungjin glanced at Wonpil, but, figuring changing the date was not astrophysics and he already went so far, he opened the browser to consult a more objective source.

His heart sunk at the result. He stepped back involuntarily, his eyes moving frantically as he desperately tried to make sense of all this. It was true. Days have passed. And they have passed for everyone but him. He didn’t notice when Wonpil’s phone slipped out of his hand and crashed onto the concrete path, a small crack forming on the screen.

Wonpil reached out and touched Sungjin’s sleeve.

“You might want to sit down for this.”

Sungjin’s thoughts were all over the place, but his body complied, as if separate. It looked like he was finally getting the answers, yet he wasn’t sure if he still wanted them.

 

Wonpil related the past two weeks from his perspective and Sungjin didn’t interrupt him even once. Wonpil couldn’t imagine what was going on inside his head. He was showing no outward reaction, which made Wonpil wonder if Sungjin even understood it was all real. Thankfully, he predicted that the story would be hard to swallow. He reached into his pocket and took out a folded poster he has ripped off from a lamppost on his way to the park and handed it to Sungjin.

“It must be weird to see this, but I have to make sure you believe me,” he blurted out handing him the paper.

There it was. Sungjin’s photo, description of his outfit, his last known whereabouts. At the bottom of the page there were two phone numbers, one of which he didn't recognize, but he couldn’t deny that the second one belonged to his sister.

At this point, the events of the day got so bizarre, that he expected to wake up any time now. He reasoned that when you are asleep, once you realize the situation is too strange to be real, there are only split seconds left until the dream ends. He felt a wave of relief. Stress and alcohol created this vivid imagery, but as soon as he was awake, the nightmare would disperse and become only a faint memory.

Except he wasn’t waking up.

Defeated by the harsh reality, he felt unusual calmness. All the emotions were gone, his mind had no ready response for this scenario. He stared blankly into the distance, not focusing on anything in particular. And when he finally spoke, his voice was faint.

“What do I even _do_ now?”

Wonpil sensed that he didn't mean any practical action, but just wanted to be shown a way to cope. All Wonpil knew was that he had to take Sungjin to the police station as soon as possible. They had to interrogate him and they would contact his family so they could stop worrying.

“We should call the police.”

Sungjin nodded, but his voice sounded bitter, “They didn’t do such a good job finding me, did they?”

“Where did you say you woke up? I mean, they've searched the park multiple times. Jae told me he saw on his way to school… You only appeared when they stopped.” Wonpil reminded him the police had no leads so their actions were very limited.

“I'll show you, but there's something really odd there,” Sungjin confessed remembering the blue blood and regretted it immediately.

He suddenly got an inexplicable feeling that Wonpil shouldn't see it.

“What do you mean?” Wonpil asked, not sure if he actually wanted to know.

When Sungjin still tried to convince himself it was all a prank, he thought the blood might have been mixed with something like ink and glitter for added eerie effect.

In this new light, it gained a whole new dimension. The only reason he could come up with for someone to do this was leaving a trademark. However, that brought to mind a serial killer and Sungjin might have been abducted, but he was far from dead.

He wondered if the person responsible contaminated the blood in the flat as well. He doubted it, because Wonpil would've surely mentioned something like that, unless such details weren’t disclosed to the public. Either way, he didn't know about it and Sungjin wanted to keep it that way. He felt the need to stop him from seeing it, but it was too late. Even if Sungjin said he didn't want to go back, he couldn’t come up with a convincing reason to prevent Wonpil from going there alone.

“You’ll see.”

Sungjin led him to the spot reluctantly. His eyes didn’t trick him before, the brownish red puddle was still there. Still stained with blue. He observed Wonpil waiting for his expression to change, but, besides paling at the sight of blood, he didn’t seem surprised.

“So, what’s the really weird thing?”

Sungjin gave him a puzzled look, “You’re looking at it.” _Can't he see it?_

“Yeah, I mean, it’s freaking scary and all, but it’s just a little blood, Sungjin. Don’t worry. You’re safe and sound now and that's all that matters.”

Wonpil tried to sound reassuring as he patted Sungjin on the shoulder, but in reality, he felt that all of this was more than he could handle. The place gave him the creeps and he regretted asking to see it. It was high time to get Sungjin some qualified help. While Wonpil tried to keep his cool and support him through this difficult experience, the situation scared the hell out of him.

“I’ll call now, ” he said for both Sungjin’s and his own sake.

»»————　　————««

The policeman who picked up sent two cars, one to get them quickly and safely to the police station, and another one to investigate the scene. The visit to the police station brought Sungjin even more abstract experiences. Everything was alien there.

Prior to anything else, a doctor briefly examined him to make sure he is not physically hurt and can be interviewed before and not after a visit to the hospital for further tests.

Once they were done, a policeman lead him to a different room and began the interview. Even though saying that he doesn’t remember anything was virtually the very first thing both Wonpil and Sungjin said to the policemen upon arrival, the officer kept asking him countless detailed, and often overlapping, questions. Eventually, he felt as if he was a suspect being interrogated and not a victim.

The officer hoped to trigger his memory in order to gain at least a scrap of information which could help them with the investigation. Sungjin, who has been trying to uncover his memories ever since he regained consciousness, knew it was pointless. In his mind, he couldn't find even a foggy impression of a place or a person. There were no fragmented images which would indicate that he alternated between being conscious and unconscious, no recollection of a face nor voice, no dreams. Absolutely nothing filled that period of time. It was as if someone just wiped the file containing the past two weeks of his life clean.

Still, he desperately wanted to find out the truth, so he answered the questions diligently and described the moments before and after the gap in great detail. He explained why he moved and that he barely knew anyone here, which was why he considered the possibility of having enemies extremely low.

When Sungjin simply walked into the station as if nothing happened, the officer was surprised but relieved to see him in such good condition. Not every day a kidnapped person simply returns on their own. But towards the end of the unfruitful interview Sungjin could see poorly masked frustration on his face. _How am_ I _supposed to feel then?_ he thought bitterly.

Eventually, the officer has run out of ways to paraphrase the questions and the interrogation ended. The policeman kept him there for another dozen of minutes, describing in more detail what Wonpil already told him. He explained he couldn't do that before, because he didn’t want to influence Sungjin’s statement by saying what happened from their perspective. When he realised Sungjin truly had nothing left to say, he let him leave.

In the waiting room, Sungjin found Jinah sitting beside Wonpil, but before he could say anything, he found himself trapped in a rib-crushing hug.

“I hate you s-o muuch,” she sobbed, wetting the fabric on his chest. “I’d honestly kill you if you were d-ead!”

He laughed at the words which didn’t match her behaviour. But as he hugged her back, he felt tears forming in his eyes, too. In all this chaos, she was familiar, she felt like home and she was undoubtedly on his side. Relief washed over him as he wrapped her tighter in his arms. For her, it didn’t matter that he has been gone, but that he was back.

They were given a moment to themselves before a policewoman approached them to explain how they should proceed with the whole situation. She instructed them to contact the police if anything unusual happened or a suspicious and potentially dangerous person appeared in Sungjin’s immediate vicinity.

She offered that they could organize a person to watch over him if he felt threatened, but he refused. He wanted some peace and normality and a bodyguard in the house would just make him fixated on all of this.

“I’ll stay with you,” Jinah weighed in.

By now she went back to her reliable-older-sister self and Sungjin understood it wasn’t an offer but an announcement. He opened his mouth to ask about her work, but changed his mind. Selfish as it was, he wanted her to stay.

The first officer came back to put extra emphasis on how important it was for Sungjin to call them as soon as he remembered anything.

Later, as he observed all three of them leave the building, the man allowed himself to let out a frustrated sigh. He strongly hoped this wouldn't turn out to be another one of those dead-end investigations it threatened to be.

»»————　　————««

The sun already set when Sungjin and Jinah walked out of the hospital. Wonpil parted ways with them shortly after they left the police station, seeing Sungjin was obviously in good hands.

As police needed all kinds of results for their reports, Sungjin had to undergo a bunch of tests. He didn’t have any apparent injuries, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything.

The doctors were wide-eyed with astonishment when Jinah explained what happened. They learned about the huge loss of blood, but they couldn’t find any wound, big or small, internal or external. They whispered among themselves in awe of the unnaturally fast recovery. They were not detectives though, their job was not to solve the mystery. The patient was obviously healthy and they could only be happy for him.

 

Sungjin had to wait for a blood test, so they decided to go to a café. While he couldn’t eat before the test, he wanted to leave the hospital behind for some time.

They were on their way to the nearest café and have just crossed the street, when Sungjin suddenly found himself looking at his own face plastered to a storefront. At first, Jinah didn’t notice that he stopped walking. Realizing he has stayed behind, she quickly turned around. She followed his eyes and saw what he was looking at. Without thinking, she run up to him and ripped off the poster. A few days ago, she printed those herself and, with some help, taped them in the area surrounding their flat and in some strategic places throughout town. But now, they were just a reminder.

Looking for the nearest trashcan, she said, “I’m sorry, I’m sure you don’t want to see these.”

“It’s fine, Wonpil already showed me one. It’s just,” — he shrugged — “it’s going to be really hard to pretend everything’s normal, isn’t it?”

He could see her wondering what she should say to make him feel better so instead, to save her some worrying, he smiled and diverted her attention.

“Let’s go, we don’t have much time.”

At the cafe, she felt guilty eating right in front of him, when he must have been ravenous, but he assured her it was fine.

“I need get the draw as soon as possible and I’ll be ok for another hour.” She didn’t seem convinced so he added, “I’ll let you treat me as soon as we’re done there, don’t you worry.”

“My poor credit card,” she sighed, wiping away an imaginary tear.

For the next half an hour he skillfully avoided the subject. He asked her to tell him stories from her workplace and laughed at her exasperated commentary.

Despite it all, he couldn't help but think that because of things like police interrogation and the posters, no matter how well-intentioned they were, surely everyone at the university would know about his strange disappearance. The public attention, however necessary to increase the chances of finding him, won’t go away simply because he returned. His reappearance was bound to turn heads and he suddenly wasn't looking forward to going there anymore. That was not a thing he wanted to be known for.

»»————　　————««

He was back at the hospital, sitting on a comfortable white chair, waiting for the blood draw. Casually chatting with Jinah, he almost managed to forget about how crazy his life has gotten in the span of, at least for him, one night.

Now, as he watched the nurse open a new syringe packet, he started to feel anxious again. The circumstances made him go back to thinking about the blue blood. He has not further explained it to Wonpil and, for some reason, didn’t mention it to the police at all. He reasoned that when they investigated the scene, they must have seen it themselves. And if not, Sungjin was not about to risk being called crazy.

His eyes followed the woman’s hands as she pierced the skin on the crook of his elbow. He wondered if there was any way to ask her if she knew of any substance that had that particular effect on blood and not sound suspicious while doing it.

He stopped breathing when he saw the colour of the blood that started filling up the syringe. It was the same as in the park, contaminated with silverish blue particles. The only difference being, they were not frozen in place like in the dried blood, but were swirling in the liquid.

It took all his self-control not to yank his hand away, but he failed to stop a flinch. The nurse glanced at him and she must have noticed the pure horror painted on his face.

“First time, huh? Don't worry, I just need a little bit to check if everything's alright.”

Sungjin pressed his lips tight and didn't dare to say anything, because if he did, it would be something along the lines of _ARE YOU KIDDING ME,_ NOTHING _IS ALRIGHT! CAN'T YOU SEE?!_

She couldn't see. It was obvious. A nurse would instantly know something was wrong, if only she could actually see it. Just like Wonpil, she didn't seem to note any unusual difference. And it was not a difference you could simply overlook.

Sungjin left the room dizzy for all the wrong reasons. He could deal with the blood in the park, no matter how weird it was. But the foul mixture was actually flowing through his veins. With this realization, the remains of normality were snatched from his grasp. Who tampered with his blood? And why wasn't anyone able to see the striking change?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel the need to say that the titles of the chapters are not literal, they're usually metaphors I find fun to use to foreshadow things, so look out for their meanings.
> 
> For people who clicked because of Sungbri, I SWEAR they will actually meet in the next chapter. The slow burn pains me too dkjksdf.
> 
> But I'm not making any promises regarding the time of update anymore, we'll see! :)
> 
> Thank you for any signs of appreciation!


	5. True Blue

The campus was enormous and densely built up with different departments, lecture halls, a couple of cafés and other facilities including a gymnasium and a surgery. Only on its furthest end, the buildings gave way to an evergreen park. It was the same vast park Sungjin crossed every day at another point to get to the university. On that side, the trees were mostly deciduous, but the deeper north, the more they mixed with the evergreens, to eventually be entirely dominated by them. The conifers cut into the back of the campus, but they lined up neatly, as if kept out of the grounds by an invisible fence.

The pine green was interrupted only by the facade of the university's library. The building's size was not obvious at first glance, its dimensions masked by the tall thick-branched evergreens. The white front wall reflected light, contrasting with the muted teal like a precious pearl on the cold dark ocean floor.

Only when they entered the main room, Sungjin realised the scale of the place, which made him experience a hint of sublime. Wonpil remained unimpressed, having seen the place countless times already in his two years of studying.

“I’ll just go get the books real quick, wait here a sec, ” Sungjin said, showing naive optimism, and pointed to the nearest table.

It was Friday afternoon, his first week at the university coming to an end. Two weeks were more than enough for Sungjin to get behind with assignments. Although Wonpil said that his professors would probably be willing to cut him some slack, considering the circumstances, Sungjin wanted to catch up as soon as possible. Which is why they were in the library now, Sungjin disappearing into the maze of books.

Wonpil tagged along with him like he often did these past few days. It was not always possible, since their timetables were everything but coordinated, but as soon as Wonpil had some free time, he would text Sungjin to ask what he was up to and if he needed company. And so they would eat together, spend breaks together and go home together. Or rather, Wonpil would see Sungjin off and then take the subway to the other side of the city.

During all the time they spent together, Wonpil has not mentioned the previous weeks even once. He knew Sungjin probably had to talk about that, so he could fully come to terms with it, but he still doubted his ability to help him with such serious subject. On the other hand, he realized that other students’ furtive glances must have been making Sungjin uncomfortable and kept reminding him of his situation. Sungjin obviously needed a sense of normalcy and in this regard, Wonpil had confidence.

At the beginning of the week, he finally had a chance to give Sungjin the long overdue tour of the campus. They finished it off with the small café by the concert hall which immediately won Sungjin’s heart. In this short time, they have already visited it a couple of times, enjoying the food while talking and listening to the faint sounds of ongoing rehearsals in the neighbouring building. To a casual observer, they looked like close friends and it was beginning to be true. Sungjin, after he made sure Wonpil wasn't actually a psycho, found out he still enjoys his company a lot. Wonpil, slowly but surely getting to know Sungjin, could feel that he has not misjudged him the first time they met, either.

Sungjin suspected that Wonpil would meet him often also because he wanted to make sure he was safe. That he won’t disappear again. He even wondered if Jinah has asked him to do so, but he quickly dismissed the possibility. Wonpil was just a good kid, and although unintentionally, he caused him a lot of worries. This is why Wonpil’s presence was only slightly burdensome and not because he was annoying, but because Sungjin felt guilty about that. Other than that, Wonpil’s ever-presence didn’t bother him as of now. On the contrary, it was of great comfort to him.

In a rush of optimism, Sungjin assumed finding the right books will be easy, despite the intimidating size of the library. He was wrong. The photocell ceiling lamps lit up and, just when their timer signalled them it’s time to turn off, were forced to light up again by Sungjin who kept walking back and forth among the shelves. Even with the help of a conveniently placed computer, the search for the right books barely got easier, as they hid between hundreds of other publications.

The designers took the vastness of the room into account, and so here and there the bookshelves were interspersed with desks to save the students from going all the way back to the main reading area to do research. He considered asking someone for help, but ironically all the desks he was passing now were empty.

He had only one book left to find, yet he has been staring at the shelf indicated by the computer for ages, tracing each of the books with his finger and pulling out every second one to makes sure it wasn’t the one. Eventually, he came to the conclusion that it was simply not there.

“Where the heck are you~,” he said louder than he meant to, which was coincidentally exactly what Wonpil was thinking at that point.

Sungjin was surprised to hear someone shuffle in their seat behind him. As he turned around, he expected to see a frustrated student, hunched over a book and frowning at him in disapproval. That's one way to ruin his only chance to ask for help.

Two rows further, there was indeed a student by a desk. He must have remained still for quite some time, because the light above his head turned off, making it hard for Sungjin to notice him at first. The guy didn't seem to be bothered by Sungjin’s outburst, his pose the epitome of calm. He sat with his arms crossed and feet nonchalantly resting on the table. A book covered his face, black hair sticking out above it. His navy shirt certainly didn’t help in making him more visible and his chest raised steadily. Sungjin didn’t know if he was actually sleeping or just relaxing, but he looked like he didn’t have a care in the world.

Sungjin wondered if he should say sorry, but he decided it's better to just walk away and not disturb the boy any more. But that was until he noticed the very book he was looking for, right there, on the table next to the stranger's legs.

Obviously, the guy was not too busy studying. What if he didn't need the book anymore and would just put it back when Sungjin had already left? He had to seize the opportunity.

“Hey there, sorry,” he whispered as he got closer to him, to get his attention.

The other just murmured a _Hm?_ without showing any desire to move to find out who was talking to him.

“I was looking for this book just now... Will you be renting it? Or could I take it? That is, if you're done,” he asked hopefully.

The boy let out a sigh, but “Sure, go ahead.” came out from underneath the book. Sungjin hesitated for a second. His voice sounded slightly familiar, but he couldn’t find a face to match it with.

He took the pile of books back to Wonpil, the hardest to get resting proudly at the very top. As soon as Wonpil saw him, he stood up while picking up his backpack and looked ready to go.

“I was growing roots in here! Wow, that's a lot of books. Do you want to stop by the café today, I'm craving cheesecake _so_ much.”

“Hey, not so fast. They don't lend this one, I have to scan it," Sungjin said, pulling out a book with a bright red label from the pile he set on the table.

“That's such a waste of time,” Wonpil complained, but followed him to the scanners.

“What are we paying for, honestly, ” he continued his rant as Sungjin adjusted the device.

“... You're on scholarship.”

“Still!”

Sungjin couldn’t stifle a laugh, Wonpil got exasperated so easily. It reminded him of his sister.

He was halfway through scanning the needed chapters when he saw the guy from earlier walking towards the exit. There was nothing unusual about him and normally Sungjin wouldn’t give him a second look, but it suddenly hit him why his voice sounded familiar.

When it was no longer covered by a book, Sungjin instantly recognized his face. It was the not-so-kind stranger from the park who nevertheless helped him find his coat.

He passed them and, when he was out of the earshot, Sungjin nudged Wonpil and gestured with his head to make him look after the boy.

“Who’s that?”

“Which- oh, that's Younghyun! I’ve told you about him.” He was met with a blank stare. “Dowoon’s friend,” he whispered in a confidential tone.

Sungjin didn't expect that. He recalled Wonpil’s words from a few days ago and he kind of fit the description, but also didn't. He could see how Younghyun could come off as intimidating but, willingly or not, he has helped him two times now. The encounters with him weren’t nearly as intense as Wonpil painted them to be, either. Subjectively, Sungjin had no hard feelings for him. He looked especially harmless just now when he simply tried to catch some sleep in the far corner of the library.

Wonpil was about to ask why Sungjin wanted to know but a distant rumble of thunder and the almost simultaneous sound of a text distracted him.

“Isn't it too cold for a storm?”

“I guess not,” Wonpil said, reading the message. “Damn, my mum thinks she left a window open at home and there’s a downpour out there…,” he paused, trying to calculate how much longer Sungjin would take.

“Go! I'll be fine, it's literally five minutes to my flat from here. No worries.”

“Text me when you get home!” Wonpil said and run out, earning multiple reproachful looks.

Sungjin just shook his head. He finished scanning not long after Wonpil left. He sent himself the files and checked out the other books.

The reading room door has just closed behind him and he was heading towards the main exit when heard some noise coming from the opposite end of the hallway. Instinctively, he glanced back. For the second time today, seeing Younghyun caught him off guard. This time, he was in the company of another guy Sungjin has never seen before. They were simply talking and Sungjin was about to go on about his own business, but then Younghyun started walking away just to have his way blocked by the other.

Younghyun didn’t notice they had company, while Sungjin could now see his face clearly. He expected an annoyed frown, but his eyes had no energy of any sort in them. He looked devoid of any emotions except resignation. He didn’t make another attempt to leave and didn’t answer as the guy kept talking, gesticulating excessively. Sungjin had no idea if he should do anything, but he took a few steps forward almost involuntarily.

“So, five hundred, by tomorrow. No tricks,” he poked Younghyun's chest to stress the last two words.

Sungjin thought his ears were fooling him. Was he talking about money?

“Hey friends, whatcha doing here?” - he grabbed the boy on the shoulder and had him jump in fear as neither of them has noticed Sungjin until now.

 _Quite a scaredy cat for a bully_ , Sungjin thought.

“Would you stay out of this?” Younghyun said, seemingly not thankful for the help at all.

“Yeah, revenant.”

Was that what they called him? All the people he has actually met were really nice when they talked to him. They said stuff like _I didn't even know you, but got really sad about the whole situation._ or _I'm glad you're back._ or _If you need anything, let me know._ He truly appreciated it, but there was also plenty of people who stole glances or just plainly stared at him when they thought he was looking elsewhere. But to be fair, there _was_ a rumour that he died, and then he suddenly came back with no explanation whatsoever to offer.

Sungjin ignored him and looked at Younghyun. His expression has changed now, showing no negative but also no positive emotions, like a mask. Hearing his response Sungjin wondered if he misinterpreted the situation, but the other boy’s next words just proved him right.

“It's not like he doesn't have it, he's rich as fuck. He never says no, anyways.”

The guy was clearly frustrated that someone interrupted them, but a sly smile formed on his face as he said that.

“Really? Then I’m saying no.” - Sungjin’s grip tightened - “I suggest you get out of here and don’t bother him again.”

The hand on his arm must have made him reconsider, or Sungjin’s calm but firm tone was particularly convincing, because the boy looked back at Younghyun for a split second and turned around, leaving through the back door.

“I'll have to do it anyway,” Younghyun mumbled to himself as soon as he was gone.

“What was that?”

Sungjin must have heard wrong.

“What you just did was pointless. He’s right. I can't say no.”

 _This guy has no backbone!_  Sungjin concluded. Each of the two times Sungjin met him he looked rather confident, straightforward and laid-back. And although the words he said just now sounded like those of a bullied coward, he still didn't show any signs of actual worry in front on Sungjin. Maybe he didn’t appear relaxed anymore, but he looked like a person who has made peace with their situation and didn't really care. Sungjin, being assertive himself, couldn't accept that.

“You can. Of course, you can. He can’t make you do shit.”

Younghyun just laughed bitterly. _If only you knew how hilariously wrong you are,_ this time he just thought to himself, not wanting to drag the conversation and confuse the poor guy even more. From what he knew, Sungjin had enough on his plate as it was.

“That's not true,” he simply said, “But thank you, Sungjin. It was really nice of you to stand up for me.”

He decided that letting Sungjin think that he has accomplished something with his rescue mission will be enough for him to back off. He passed Sungjin going for the door on the opposite end. Once again, Sungjin watched him walk away and contemplated if he should stop him. A deja vu, if he ever experienced one.

And once again, he didn't want to get involved with him more than it seemed necessary. It was obvious that Younghyun didn’t want him, nor anyone else probably, to meddle either. What he could do, he just did. He decided that if he was ever to witness a similar situation again and Younghyun would seem distressed, he would help. In any other case, he would not interfere if Younghyun himself was not bothered by it.

They were still strangers, after all, only knowing each other through their friends. Maybe their paths would cross again, but at that time nothing directly connected these two.

»»———— ————««

Sungjin’s plans to stay out of Younghyun’s life were destroyed the very same night.

He was on his way to his psychologist appointment. He received some counseling back in the hospital, but apparently, that was not enough. And so, now he had visits scheduled every Monday and Friday. They were designed to both help him cope with his abduction and remember it. He feared those two could turn out to be mutually exclusive.

The first visit didn't bring any new information. The doctor was understanding enough that when Sungjin said he was sick of questions, she didn't insist. Instead, she offered to answer his questions. But truth was, he could barely think of anything else than his abominable discovery the previous day. He couldn't sleep that night and the whole visit, he wondered if he should tell the psychologist about his strange condition. After a whole night of thinking, he decided that it must have been a mirage. And if that was the case, maybe the doctor could help and somehow prevent him from hallucinating in the future.

Yet, subconsciously, he knew those were not hallucinations. Otherwise, they would manifest in other forms, too. And nothing else felt wrong so far. So he kept his secret.

Later on in the week, he managed to forget about the blood. It started to feel less real and more like a last night's nightmare. It felt too ridiculous in the bright light of day, too surreal to be frightening anymore. Sungjin was hoping to forget about it entirely, so he steered his thoughts as far away from it, as possible. Soon he didn’t even have to try too hard, busy with his new life.

 

Although they met in the hospital the first time, for the next appointments Sungjin would actually visit the psychologist in her home. He welcomed it with relief, never being a fan of hospitals in the first place. Her office didn’t resemble ones he knew from movies either. No chaise lounge, no minimalist furnishing, no intimidating doctor piercing you with their eyes.

On the contrary, it was a little, cosy living room, with dim lighting and soft armchairs. And the woman’s eyes seemed just as soft when she talked. The woman probably believed it would be easier to make her patients feel comfortable and consequently open up in such a friendly space. She knew what she was doing. It was only their third meeting, but Sungjin actually looked forward to it, in a way.

Between his classes and the appointment at seven, he already had a chance to start off some of his overdue assignments. He started to feel like he came back on the right track. Preoccupied with schoolwork, he could forget about what he went through and start to see everything in brighter colours again. Good mood didn’t leave him the whole way to his therapist’s house.

He reached his destination, and stopped before the door, still humming a song while removing and hiding his earphones in his pocket. Right then, he saw a familiar figure on the porch of the house on the left.

_You gotta be kidding me._

It was none other than Younghyun and Sungjin arrived just in time to see the door of the house open and the bully step out. He had his house clothes on but there was no mistaking him. Sungjin took a good look before.

Younghyun told him what would happen. He should have been prepared for this, but he still couldn’t believe his eyes when he took out his wallet and simply gave the asshole the money he asked for. Sungjin couldn’t hear what they were saying, but then he clearly saw Younghyun open his wallet _again_ and hand him even more cash. He didn’t even hesitate.

Sungjin was so dumbfounded he just stood staring. But when Younghyun started leaving the porch he snapped out of it and followed instantly. They met on the pavement halfway between the houses. This time Younghyun recognized him right away, nevertheless still surprised. He clearly didn’t expect him here and was now scanning the surroundings, probably wondering where Sungjin came from so suddenly. Sungjin thought he would say something first, but he just met his eyes for a split second and looked away.

“Why’d you do that?!” Sungjin couldn't contain himself, he couldn't wrap his mind around what just happened. So much for staying away and not meddling.

Younghyun composed himself, he looked around again and started walking away without saying a word. Sungjin wasn’t giving up. Whether he wanted to or not, he has seen too much and if Younghyun wouldn't say something for it all to start making sense, the frustration would eat him up.

He walked a few steps after him, trying to come up with something to say and almost run into him when Younghyun changed his mind about staying silent and turned back around after stopping abruptly.

“I am flattered, but you should stop following me now. It's making me uncomfortable.”

Sungjin took a step back, but couldn't help but ask, “You gave him the money?”

 _“_ Well, of course, I did.”

He said it like it was the most natural thing in the universe, yet stood there waiting for the question that was bound to be asked.

“Why?”

" _Why_ would I tell you?”

He was really sassy for a person who was just, for a lack of better term, robbed.

“So, what, I stood up for you for nothing?”

“Clearly. I told you right away, why on earth are you so surprised?”

Sungjin wished he would have used that same energy when dealing with his bully and not with him, who ultimately just tried to help.

“He bullies you asking for tons of cash, I scare him away and you actually still go out of your way to give it to him.” Saying it out loud didn't make it any more logical. “What exactly does he have on you?”

“You are taking this completely out of context and overreacting. Why do you even care?”

Sungjin started to think that maybe he was really blowing this out of proportion, his empathy actually doing more harm than good. But then he run all the happenings in his head again and remembered Younghyun’s expression when he didn't know Sungjin was looking.

“Cuz if you were just helping a friend or whatever lie you'll try to sell me, you wouldn't look so miserable doing it!”

Younghyun raised a brow, as if Sungjin was making things up.

“Listen, I have my reasons and I don't have to explain myself to you. I’m going. And you will forget any of this ever happened. Now.”

“Oh, I really won't.”

What did he expect? Sure Sungjin did go through really strange things lately, but it didn't mean he could now just dismiss something like this only because he's experienced something weirder. This guy was driving him crazy.

“You _won't_?” Younghyun’s I-don't-care-and-I-have-everything-under-control mask has been lifted for a moment. He looked at Sungjin perplexed, as if Sungjin saying he can't forget unwanted information at will was the single most concerning thing that has happened to him that day.

“You really don't have to do this.”

Sungjin didn't want to back down just yet and used his last chance to get through to Younghyun.

“I really do,” the other said firmly, cutting the conversation right there and then.

When the therapist asked him why he was late, he simply said he forgot about the meeting. He barely said anything during the session.

If Younghyun really wanted him to forget, he should have done a better job convincing him. The sadness and defeat seeping from his stare when he said those last words were enough to keep Sungjin up the whole night. He tossed and turned in vexation. The sun rose and he was still trying to think of a way to help someone who didn't want the help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, it's here~~! :)
> 
> No answers, just more questions, sorry!
> 
> Do you have an idea what's happening?
> 
> Thank you for reading and commenting on the last chapter ♡

**Author's Note:**

> \- English is not my first language so please do correct me if you see any mistakes or have any advice.  
> \- Comments are really appreciated, they motivate me a lot. And I'd love to see you speculate! :))  
> \- Find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/indeorbit) and check the progress of the fic there.


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